


A Wish Your Heart Makes

by straightnotechaser



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 12:29:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14237325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/straightnotechaser/pseuds/straightnotechaser
Summary: In a post-war world where pureblood wizards have become second class citizens, Scorpius is just trying to find his happily ever after. A Cinderella AU.





	A Wish Your Heart Makes

**Author's Note:**

> This was heavily influenced by the Rogers & Hammerstein musical, which I had the pleasure of playing in the pit for and watching enough times that this was born. Thanks to [bangringyring](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bangringyring/pseuds/bangringyring) for editing for me!

Nineteen year old Scorpius Malfoy leaned off of the balcony of the quaint city loft he lived in, looking down at the bustling street below. Everyone was coming and going, in and out of shops. Some people carried groceries or other bags. It was a beautiful summer afternoon, and he longed to be outside.  
  
“Scorpius!” came a shrill shriek from inside, and he winced as footsteps approached. He quickly re-entered the bedroom, closing the glass doors behind him with a soft ‘click.’

“Scorpius, the kitchen is an absolute disaster, and why in Merlin’s name haven’t the dishes from lunch been done yet?”   
  
“Sorry,” Scorpius murmured, looking anywhere but at the irate face of Andrea Finch-Fletchley, the rather surly and unpleasant wife of one Justin Finch-Fletchley, classmate of the Saviour of the Wizarding World, Harry Potter. This was how Scorpius introduced her to people in his mind, which was a slightly less polite version of the way she introduced herself to people.  
  
“You’re always sorry,” the older woman sniffed. “Hurry up and get on with it, then. Why are you even in Evan’s room?”

Scorpius scurried out of the room and back down to the kitchen, where he pulled out his wand to charm the dishes into washing and started sorting the things that had gotten left out when he had made lunch earlier.   
  
Scorpius had the misfortune of being born a pure-blood wizard in the era following the Second Great Wizarding War. At some point, it had been decided the best course of action for the children of pure-blood wizards was to separate them from their families so they wouldn’t be tainted by the ideals that had caused the War. This was all well and good, except they hadn’t been adopted by loving homes, but overwhelmingly were viewed as second-class citizens with which Wizarding families must find a use. As House Elf rights progressed, the pure-blood wizards began to replace them. And so, here Scorpius was, with the family that had raised him, doing the dishes.

Sometimes he had dreams about his mother and father, but they were faint memories. He was “adopted” late, by custom’s sake, he knew that he was about three years old when the Finch-Fletchley’s took him in. Most pure-blood children were taken from their families directly at St. Mungo’s. Scorpius was lucky he had three years, even if he didn’t remember them.

He’d gone to Hogwarts with the rest, but they had made an entirely separate house for the pure-blood wizards, presumably to keep them out of Slytherin house. Scorpius had longed for any color robe besides the plain ones he had to wear every day. He longed to take to the skies and play Quidditch, but there was no pure-blood house team. He longed to mingle with the other children and perhaps make friends, but he and his peers were always kept far, far away from the other children. He only ever saw his so-called brother and sister, Evan and Eleanor (they were twins), on occasion in the halls, and they usually pretended that he didn’t exist. They still did that, if he was entirely honest with himself.

As he was putting away the last crystal goblet, Tilly, the Finch-Fletchley’s part-time House Elf, popped into the kitchen.   
  
“Good afternoon, Master Scorpius!” she said, pleasantly. Scorpius sometimes wondered why she bothered with the title, as they did the exact same job.  
  
“Good afternoon, Tilly,” he said, turning to take clean dishes from the sink, dry them, and put them away. “Did you have a good morning?”   
  
“Oh yes, I always do with my other family,” she said, pleasantly. Tilly never spoke of her other family by name, for privacy reasons, but would occasionally tell Scorpius fascinating stories of a huge house and kind masters. Scorpius liked to imagine that she worked for the Potters.

The Potters lived in a home in Godric’s Hollow. It was said to be a beautiful, stately home, though Scorpius himself had never seen it. The Finch-Fletchleys talked about it so much he felt as though he might have. There had been many parties there in the past few years, though the one that stood out was to celebrate Albus Potter’s engagement. Despite being the same year in school as Albus, Scorpius had not attended. He’d wanted to quite badly, and had received an invitation, but had too much work to do to attend.

“Did you have a pleasant day, dear?” Tilly asked, interrupting his daydreaming. Scorpius set down the last plate.  
  
“Same as usual. I thought it might be nice to go outside, but of course,” and he gestured to the mess that the kitchen still was. Tilly frowned.

“I can finish, why don’t you go out for a bit?”  Scorpius’ face lit up. He knew it wasn’t the best choice, but his skin hadn’t felt the sun on it in about a week.  
  
“Really, Tilly?”   
  
“Yes. Go quickly.”   
  
He ran out the back door and took a huge, heaving breath of summer air. He wanted to run, and jump, and yell, but he knew that would make a scene. Instead, he wove through the back garden, down the alley, and into the streets.  
  
Amongst all of the people bustling to and fro, for the most part, Scorpius blended right in. Every so often people would look at him with recognition and avoid him, though he didn’t know why. He figured somehow the pure-blooded-ness just shone from his pale, pointed face.

Scorpius was so excited to be outside that he barely noticed an official Potter family messenger standing on the corner. His wand was pointing to his throat, indicating his use of a loudening charm.

“...will be holding a party at Godric’s Hollow in celebration of the birthday of James Sirius Potter…”  
  
Scorpius wandered ever closer to the messenger. Another party at the Potter’s! Maybe this time he would be able to go. He joined the growing crowd of people and stood, listening.

“To attend the party, all one needs is an invitation and suitably fashionable attire,” the messenger said. As he spoke, gilded invitations flew into the air. Scorpius reached his hand up and caught one. His eyes widened in shock. He was so surprised, that he missed everything else the messenger was saying. The crowd around him began to separate, and he quickly shoved the invitation in his pocket and headed back towards home.

He pushed the kitchen door open, only to find Tilly and Eleanor in the kitchen.

“...and he’s having a party and  _ everyone _ is invited,” she was saying. “Oh, hi Scorpius,” she said, not unkindly. “Did you hear James Potter is having a birthday party?”   
  
“I did, actually,” Scorpius said. Tilly looked interested. Scorpius pulled out his slightly wrinkled invitation and held it up.   
  
“Ohhh,” Eleanor said, sounding excited. “Maybe you’ll finally get to see Godric’s Hollow!”   
  
Of all the Finch-Fletchleys, Eleanor had always been the kindest to Scorpius. She never helped him out of any binds, or stood up for him, but she was kind, and sometimes that was enough.

Just then, Evan came into the kitchen, also bearing a golden invitation. “Look what I’ve got,” he said, sounding as though he thought he would be the only one. When he saw the same invitation in both Scorpius and Eleanor’s hands, he turned his nose up.

“I’m so excited,” Eleanor said, ignoring her brother’s behavior. “Maybe James will fall in love with me and then  _ we _ can be related to the Saviour of the Wizarding World!” she tittered. Evan rolled his eyes.  
  
“Don’t get your hopes up, James is gay, remember? And you’re  _ definitely _ not his type,” he said, with a pointed look at Scorpius. Scorpius had the misfortune of being gay in a house that already had one gay brother. Not that he assumed life would be better if Evan were straight, but it certainly didn’t help. In Andrea’s eyes, Scorpius was the lesser version of Evan in every possible way.

Scorpius frowned. “I’d just really like to go to the party,” he began, but Evan had already cut him off with a waving hand.  
  
“No one would want to see any of  _ your  _ lot in Godric’s Hollow. It would ruin everything. Besides, you haven’t got anything to wear. You might as well throw the invitation into the street, it’s not doing you any good.”   
  
Scorpius’ frown deepened, but he chose not to say anything. Eleanor looked a little stricken.   
  
“Well, Evan,” she said pleasantly, “let’s go say hi to mum, shall we?” She steered her brother upstairs, with one apologetic look back at Scorpius. He sighed, once they had left, and turned back to the kitchen. Tilly had made short work of the mess, an ability he always envied.

“You want to go to the party, don’t you?” she asked, timidly.  
  
“Of course I do,” Scorpius said, exasperated. “But Evan might be right.” Tilly shook her head, tutting.   
  
“They didn’t say no pure-blood wizards, did they?”    
  
“Well, no…”   
  
“Then don’t give in so easily,” she said, smiling up at him. “You are a very talented wizard, I’m sure you can think of a way to go.”   
  
Scorpius thought for a moment, then grinned. “I have some money saved, I can buy some fabric in town. I could definitely make some reasonable dress robes.”   
  
Tilly beamed. “See? I knew you could do it, Master Scorpius. Well, I’m off now. Have a good night, dearie.” She disappeared with a soft  _ pop!  
_

Scorpius turned to head to his bedroom, which was a small room off of the kitchen. He stepped inside and looked around. It was neat and well-kept, but without any of the luxuries of his sibling’s rooms. He had no pets, and very minimal furniture. He rummaged around in his closet until he pulled out a small box. He kept his earnings inside of the box, because he never had a chance to go to Gringotts. To be honest, he wasn’t even sure if he could open an account. He had a habit of spending the money on things like ice cream and sweets when he could get out, but lately he had been saving up with the dream of moving out on his own and trying to find a different job. He had achieved NEWT levels in several subjects and knew he was cut out for much more than cooking and cleaning. He looked into his box and frowned. High quality fabric would cost him much of what he had saved. But going to the party might open up so many opportunities--at the very least, he might be able to meet a family much nicer than the Finch-Fletchleys in need of a live-in maid.

He made up his mind. He would go and buy fabric in the morning.

\---

The next day Scorpius barely had time to toss his fabric purchase into his room before Andrea was sending him out again.    
  
“Why did you go out without telling me? We need more Potions ingredients for Evan’s apprenticeship, and groceries, and I haven’t time to go out because we must go buy party clothes for Evan and Eleanor!”

So out he went again, bobbing in and out of people, just happy to be outside.

When he returned home, there were more chores to be done. In his spare time, he darted in and out of his room, pinning here, charming there, and working diligently on his own party attire. The week went on like this, until Friday when he was called into the main sitting room for a second opinion on Evan and Eleanor’s dress robes.  
  
“They look lovely,” he said, “really stunning.” Indeed, Evan and Eleanor both looked elegant and regal.  
  
“Aren’t they?” Andrea said, pleasantly. 

“Scorpius, haven’t you got robes, too?” Eleanor said, surprising everyone. “Can we see them?”

“You think you’re going to the party?” Andrea said, incredulous. “Why, you’ll be made a laughingstock.”   
  
Scorpius set his jaw. “I’d like to go, if I have the time,” he said. “I’m planning to have the whole place spotless by the time we would need to leave tomorrow.” She raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.   
  
“Go on, get them, Scorpius,” Eleanor said, excited. So Scorpius went down into his room, quickly pulled his dress robes over his street clothes, and returned to the sitting room.  
  
“Oh, you did such a nice job!” said Eleanor, smiling. Andrea nodded.  
  
“You did a passable job, it almost looks like you might have had the money to buy something,” the older woman said, clearly not able to find it in her heart to give Scorpius a real compliment. He smiled anyway, but it slid from his features when he saw Evan’s poisonous expression.

Justin Finch-Fletchley came into the room then, all smiles and kind behavior like always. Scorpius wished their patriarch was around more often, though he was also the first to remind Scorpius that his parents were terrible excuses for a witch and wizard. It stung, even though Scorpius didn’t know them.

“Don’t all three of you look dashing,” he said, smiling as he kissed each of his children on the cheek. “I hope we all have fun at the party tomorrow. Andrea, a word for a moment?”   
  
He whisked his wife off into another room, and Eleanor turned to smile at her two male companions.  
  
“I can’t wait!” she said, excitedly. “But I want to get these off, I don’t want to sweat in them yet.” She disappeared up the stairs to her bedroom. Evan turned to Scorpius.   
  
“I can’t believe you did that,” he said, incredulous. Scorpius frowned.  
  
“There’s no law that says I can’t go to the party,” Scorpius said, determined as he carefully took off his handmade robes. He wanted them to stay as wrinkle-free as possible until tomorrow night, and he still had some finishing touches he wanted to make “ _ Everyone _ was invited, as long as they have an invitation and suitable attire.”

Evan laughed, and his wand was out before Scorpius could react to grab his own.   
  
“ _ Incendio!” _

And all of Scorpius’ hard work was up in flames before he could do anything about it. He yelped and dropped the robes, but his  _ Aguamenti  _ was too late to save the damage.  
  
“Looks like you don’t have any suitable attire,” came Evan’s mocking voice from the stairs. He laughed as he retreated.

It took all of Scorpius’ dignity to carry his scorched robes down through the kitchen to his bedroom. Tilly looked up, excited to see him, but her ears drooped when she saw his expression. Scorpius lay the ruined robes out on the floor. He tried mending and cleaning charms, but the amount of repair he would need to do was far greater than the time he had. He didn’t have enough money for more fabric, let alone store-bought robes.  
  
It was only at that moment that Scorpius allowed himself to cry.

Tilly poked her head into his room, looking concerned. “Master Scorpius?” she said carefully.  
  
Scorpius sniffed, and tried to calm himself down. “Yes, Tilly?” She padded into his room and stood beside him, still smaller standing than he was sitting in a forlorn pile on the floor. She rested a hand on his shoulder.

“What is it?”

He gestured to the ashen mess in front of him, and sniffed again.

“The dress robes I made for the party are ruined. I spent almost everything I had saved, and I don’t have the money or the time to make something else. I’ll never get to go to any of the parties, I’ll never get to see Godric’s Hollow, no one will ever want to be my friend, let alone fall in love with me like Eleanor’s dreaming about, and I’ll never be anything more than a useless pureblood cleaning wizard!” he yelled, all of his built up frustration and disappointment coming out in one moment. 

Tilly shook her head. “Master Scorpius, all of that isn’t true.”   
  
Scorpius swiped the back of his hand across his nose. “Sure it is, and you know it. They’re all just silly dreams. Daydreams.” He sighed and looked at Tilly. “In my mind, in here where I can think about it, I’m going to the party. I’m the same as every other wizard, and everyone is happy to see me. I talk to people, and laugh, and have a great time, and there’s a beautiful kind wizard there who likes me, and we run off together and I never have to clean another dish again.” He sighed.  
  
“Sometimes dreams come true, Master Scorpius.”  
  
“Sure, Tilly. Maybe for other people.” He stood up, taking his robes with him. He threw them in the trash. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I’m going to bed, okay?”

Tilly bowed and backed out of the room, but the wheels in her brain were turning. She disappeared with a soft  _ pop! _ , only to reappear in a large manor home.

“Master Malfoy?”   
  
A large armchair gave a great creak as a thin, pale man stood up.   
  
“Tilly, I wasn’t expecting you so late.” Tilly bowed deeply.  
  
“Has a request for you, humbly, Master Malfoy.”   
  
Draco Malfoy tilted his head. His thin, pale face was hollow. He had the look of a man who had little joy in his life, and so it was true. He was still young when the Aurors had finally found them and taken Scorpius away from him and Astoria. They had thought they had hidden so well, but even the mountains couldn’t keep their family safe. They moved back to the manor, mourning, but Astoria didn’t have the strength. The Healers said otherwise, but Draco knew she had died of heartbreak. He wanted to, as well, standing at the grave of his wife, who was the only person who had brought any light into his life.  
  
Until Scorpius. And he still had his son, even though he didn’t, thanks to Tilly, who had worked tirelessly moving from family to family until she found him, and would bring back word to Draco.  
  
“Anything, just ask.”   
  
Tilly bowed again. “Scorpius very much wants to go to young James Potter’s birthday party, but the robes he made have been ruined by his nasty step brother, sir,” she chirped. Draco stood at once, before she could make a formal request to borrow money, and disappeared into another room. He returned with a small bag, and opened it to show Tilly it’s contents. It was full of shining Galleons.   
  
“Please help him be happy,” Draco said.

Tilly bowed deeply. “I wish I could bring him to you, sir.” Draco shook his head and lowered himself back into his chair.    
  
“Me too, Tilly. Me too.”

\---

Scorpius didn’t want to wake up the next morning, but there were small fingers prying his eyes open.   
  
“Tilly, what in Merlin’s name?!” Scorpius exclaimed, jolting upwards and sending the small elf, who had been kneeling on his chest, flying.  
  
“Sorry,” he said, climbing out of bed. Tilly shook herself off.   
  
“You must hurry,” she said, “and get to cleaning, because the party is today! I came to help, Master Scorpius.”   
  
Scorpius frowned. “I’m not going to the party, what does it matter?”   
  
Tilly held out the small bag for Scorpius to take. “Of course you are. You must clean quickly so you can get to the shops before they close.”   
  
Scorpius looked into the bag and nearly fell over. He’d never seen so much money in his life.   
  
“Tilly, I can’t take this from you, you’ve worked so hard!”    
  
Tilly shook her head emphatically. “It isn’t Tilly’s,” she said, “you have someone who cares for you very much and wants you to be happy, Master Scorpius.”

Scorpius blinked at her. “Like a fairy godmother?” He peered at her. “Are you like, my guardian House Elf or something?”   
  
Tilly grinned. “Master Scorpius must hurry,” she reminded him, pushing him in the calves to get moving. “Much to clean, much to buy, much to ready for!”

Tilly sent Scorpius out to buy new robes, promising to begin his chores for him. He scurried into town, feeling like a robber with the quantity of gold in his pocket. He picked out the nicest dress robes he could possibly find, and some nice new street clothes as well. He had plenty of money left over, but felt as though he should return it.

He came back to find most of his chores completed. He tried to give Tilly the remaining money back, but she said no.  
  
“It’s yours, Master Scorpius!”   
  
And so he stored it in his box. They finished their chores and Scorpius collapsed, exhausted, into a kitchen chair.

“Master Scorpius must hurry and clean himself,” Tilly chirped, looking nervous, but Andrea appeared in the doorway with Evan and Eleanor’s dress robes.  
  
“Clean and press these, please,” she demanded.    
  
“But they’re brand new!” Scorpius protested.

“They’ve been worn, and you know Evan and Eleanor must look their best for the party.” She dumped the robes into Scorpius’ arms and flounced out of the room. Scorpius groaned, but the clothes floated out of his hands.   
  
“Go,” Tilly commanded, and the clothes began cleaning themselves in the air. Scorpius ran to and from his bathroom, quickly showering and throwing on his dress robes.

Tilly looked over from steaming the twins’ robes and shook her head. She snapped her fingers and Scorpius’ peach fuzz vanished, his dress robes lay flat and pressed, his nicest pair of shoes were replaced with shiny dragon-hide leather, and his normally flat hair moved into a stylish coif. He turned around to catch his reflection in the kitchen’s glass-doored cabinets, and caught a whiff of something that smelled like a cologne more expensive than Scorpius could ever afford. 

Tilly smiled at him.

“Tilly,” Scorpius said, mouth wide open. “Thank you so much.”   
  
She waved her long-fingered hand as the dress robes folded themselves on the table. “It isn’t anything, but it also won’t last forever,” she said. “Have fun. Go now, quickly, before she comes back.”   
  
Scorpius didn’t need to be told twice. He’d only been in the Floo a few times, for errands, but felt the wash of unfamiliar confidence when he clearly articulated “Godric’s Hollow” into the green flames.

He reappeared in the entrance of a lovely home that had certainly been expanded for the circumstances. He joined a throng of people being welcomed and ushered into the lawn. A polite young man took his invitation, and no one seemed to bat an eyelash that he was there.  
  
It was everything he could have dreamed of. There were cakes and cookies and pasties, more fruits than he had ever tried to eat, things he had never seen before. The outfits around him were dazzling. Women laughing, children running underfoot, men joking together. In the distance he heard the crack and whistle of a Beater’s bat on a Bludger. He looked up and there was a Quidditch game above him. There was so much to take in, and so little time.

In his awe, Scorpius had inadvertently bumped into a waiter. “Excuse me,” he said, immediately embarrassed.  
  
“So sorry,” the waiter said genuinely. “Would you care for a pasty, sir?”   
  
No one had  _ ever _ called him sir, and he was sure the waiter wouldn’t in different circumstances.  
  
“Thank you,” he said, taking one gingerly off of the waiter’s plate. The waiter nodded and disappeared into the crowd. Scorpius took a bite of the pasty absentmindedly, and was immediately blown away by how good it was. Scorpius thought in that moment that he could die here and would be happy. 

He decided that he wanted to go watch the Quidditch match, and headed in that direction, but was immediately distracted along with the rest of the party attendants by the opening of double French doors on the second floor of the house. Out stepped the entire Potter family, and they were exactly as Scorpius had imagined. He had only ever seen James, Albus, and Lily from afar at school, and time had aged all of them well. The girl on Albus’ arm was pretty and kind-looking, and Harry himself looked like the type of person you would enjoy sitting down and having tea with. They were a perfect family. Something in Scorpius’ heart pulled, and he wished he had that.

The messenger that had given him his invitation was talking to the crowd, and telling them that everyone would have a chance to wish James Sirius a happy birthday. A line was quickly forming, but Scorpius didn’t really want to be in it. He would feel too uncomfortable, too out of place. He busied himself on the edge of the crowd, trying just hard enough to fit in without fitting in at all.

James Sirius Potter was not having as good of a time. He loved being Harry Potter’s son, he loved the attention it brought him and the easy way of living. He did not, however, love these silly parties. He hated being fawned over by women who thought they could change his sexuality and men who only wanted him so that they, too, could be famous.

Being James Potter was hard.

He looked around, bored, as another older witch had come to wish him a happy twenty-first birthday as well as mention something or other about her two children (who James remembered from school, Evan and Eleanor. Eleanor was okay but Evan was a prat who had thought because they were the only two gay boys in their year, that somehow meant they were destined to be). James smiled politely and thanked them, then returned to looking around for anything else interesting happening at his party. He internally revelled in the put-out look on Evan Finch-Fletchley’s ridiculously pompous face.

He spotted someone at the party who he’d never seen before, off in the distance, in stunning dress robes that hugged tightly in all the right places. He wasn’t in line to say happy birthday to James, which made him even more intriguing.  
  
“Who’s that?” he said, pointing and elbowing his sister, despite the fact that there were a hoard of people still waiting to speak to him. Lily looked in the direction of her older brother’s finger, then shrugged. “Dunno. Too far away to tell.” James frowned, disappointed.  
  
As his line thinned, he kept glancing around for the man he had spotted, but to no avail. This put him in a particularly sullen mood, and so when the final person had pumped his arm and wished him well, he stood.  
  
“I’m going to watch the Quidditch game, since for whatever reason, even though it’s my birthday, I can’t play.”   
  
“James,” Harry said, sounding tired. He wished desperately for a life that would have made his children, particularly his eldest, less entitled. “There would have been too many people trying to fit in the small stands. In fact, it might not be the greatest idea for--”   
  
“I’ll stay on the ground then, Dad, alright?” James said, annoyed. Harry sighed and nodded, and James quickly got to his feet and headed for the Quidditch pitch, dodging as many people as possible on the way there.

Scorpius had long since made his way to the Quidditch pitch, and was standing on the ground, staring up into the air. Quidditch was his absolute favorite thing. He didn’t miss a single match at school. He didn’t want to waste time climbing into the stands, and was squinting against the summer sun to see.

He jumped slightly when he felt a tap on his shoulder, and whirled around.

James Sirius Potter was smiling at him, looking a little amused. “Hi,” he said simply. “Good game?”

Scorpius cleared his throat. “Um, yeah. What I can see of it, anyway.”   
  
James laughed. It was a clear sound, very carefree. “Why don’t you go up in the stands?” he asked, looking amused. Scorpius shrugged lamely. James didn’t wait for a reply, he was distracted by the game as well.  
  
“I’m not allowed to go up, Dad says too many people might cram in there too. I wanted to play, but that was definitely a no.” He looked back down to Scorpius. “Say, have we met before?”   
  
Scorpius wasn’t sure how to answer that. “Sort of,” he settled on.  
  
“Okay. Well, I’m James.”   
  
“I know.”   
  
James laughed again. “Right, of course you do. This is my party, or something. It’s all stupid. Do you want a better seat for the game?” Scorpius looked confused, but followed James anyway. The older man led him into the trees on the edge of the Quidditch pitch. “Come on,” he said, and helped Scorpius climb up behind him. They sat together on a surprisingly sturdy branch, and Scorpius was pleasantly surprised at how much easier it was to see the game.  
  
“Plus, everyone will leave me alone now,” James said, flashing a grin at Scorpius. It had been described by Witch Weekly as “winning,” and Scorpius could see why.  He turned back to the game just in time to catch one of the Chasers play a cheap trick, elbowing into a member of the other team.  
  
“Oh, come off it,” Scorpius said, annoyed. 

James turned to him. “You really like Quidditch?”

Scorpius looked confused. “Yeah, of course I do.”  
  
James was smiling again, and began launching into an explanation of why the Tutshill Tornadoes were bound to be the it team this season. Scorpius politely disagreed, pointing to the distinct advantage the Hollyhead Harpies had with new teammates. The two had a long, friendly debate that lasted until the Snitch had been caught.

James leaned back into the tree. “It’s so nice, that you actually want to talk about  _ real _ stuff.” Scorpius tilted his head, confused. 

“Normally,” James continued, “people just want to talk to me about my Dad, about what it’s like to be me, about how much money I have, or what clothes I’m wearing, or whatever.” He sat up. “You’ve treated me like a regular person. Sorry, this is all a lot, I’m sure. It’s just nobody does that. And you’re very nice, and you’re very good looking.”   
  
Scorpius flushed a bright shade of pink, and James laughed.  
  
“See,  _ and _ you’re cute.” He leaned in, and his bright brown eyes were almost too much for Scorpius to bear. The sun was setting behind him, and the warm colors were reflected in James’ eyes. He was too distracted by this to realize that James was kissing him until it was too late for him to have a proper reaction. His eyes fell shut, and for one moment, everything in his life was good.  


They broke apart, and Scorpius smiled hesitantly. James reached out and took his hand, looking as though he were about to say something else, but Scorpius noticed the party dying down in the distance, and, to his horror, the Finch-Fletchley’s making their goodbye rounds.  
  
“I have to go,” Scorpius said abruptly, pulling his hand out of James’ so he could climb out of the tree. James looked shocked.   
  
“But we’ve only just met,” he said, “and it’s only eight!”

“I know,” Scorpius said, standing, “and I really would love to stay, really, I would. But if I don’t get home now, it will be terrible.” He looked down, a bit nervous, and then jumped down from the tree. He caught his balance, and then headed off towards the great Floo. He heard James land on the ground behind him.

“Hey, wait!” he was calling, and Scorpius heard him hurrying. “Please wait! Just for a minute! Hey! I don’t even know your name!”   
  
But Scorpius was moving too quickly for James to catch up, his dress robes flapping behind him. He felt the older man grab hold of the end of his dress robes, but he didn’t have time to stop. He heard the tear, and knew he would regret it later, but then moment of distress on James’ part allowed him to finish heading inside.

James stopped following, the piece of cloth still in his hand. 

“Jay? You okay?” It was Lily, leaning against a tree, probably up to something. 

“He got away,” James said, incredulous.   
  
“What?” Lily asked, confused.  
  
“That man. He talked to me like a real person,  _ and _ he was really cute. And he just ran off and I didn’t even get his name.”   
  
“Of course you didn’t, that would have been too much for you to ask someone what their name is,” Lily said, rolling her eyes.   
  
“No, Lily, come on,” James said. “I have to go after him. Will you help me?”   
  
“Well he’s probably long gone now, with how much blabbing you’ve done. What’s that you’re holding?”   
  
James held up the cloth. “Part of his dress robes.”  
  
“Seriously?” Lily said, standing upright. “Do I have to do everything? Just find the guy with torn dress robes. You can go door to door or something.”

James ran over and hugged his sister.

“This is why we sent you to school,” he exclaimed. Lily rolled her eyes.

\---

Scorpius ran into his bedroom, quickly took off his dress robes, sighing at the tear, and ran into the bathroom to flatten his hair. Tilly suddenly appeared with a soft  _ pop! _   
  
“How was it, Master Scorpius?” He turned to her, smiling.  
  
“It was everything I expected, Tilly, and so much more. I got to meet James, and we sat and talked, and he was so wonderful, and,” he touched his mouth, as though it were a dream. “He kissed me.” He turned to Tilly, who was smiling. “But I ran off, and that’s the end of it.” He shut his closet door with an air of finality. “But it was nice, when it was happening.”   
  
Tilly frowned, but quickly vanished as the main door opened. Scorpius ran upstairs quickly.  
  
“Welcome back!” he said, trying not to sound too cheerful. “How was the party?”   


“Oh, it was grand, my feet are killing me,” said Andrea, pulling off her shoes and heading upstairs.   
  
“The Potters were just as kind as always,” said Eleanor happily.

“And James was stunning, but he disappeared,” said Evan, sounding disappointed. 

“Sorry you missed your chance,” said Scorpius, not feeling very sorry at all. Evan scowled.   
  
“Well what have you been doing all this time? Cleaning?”   
  
“Cleaning,” Scorpius repeated, “and daydreaming.”   
  
“Oh, what did you imagine this time?” Eleanor said, excited. She loved listening to Scorpius’ make believe stories. Evan rolled his eyes and headed to sit down.  
  
“Well,” Scorpius said carefully. “I imagined what it would be like to be at the party, since I’ve never been.”   
  
“What did you imagine it to be like?” she asked, and Scorpius painted a picture for her of a vast lawn with hundreds of tents filled with food, and fifty waiters (“There were probably only twenty!”, and six Quidditch games (“Only one!”) and James was kind and danced with every boy (“There wasn't any dancing, Scorpius, it wasn't a ball,”) but he had spent extra time with Scorpius and they had gotten on swimmingly. Eleanor looked thrilled with Scorpius’ imagined story, and thoroughly entertained. He smiled. 

“James would never go for you,” Evan said from the sitting room sofa. Scorpius and Eleanor both turned to look at him.

“You could wear the finest dress robes and have the nicest cologne and he would still never go for you. Because you’re a pure blood, and you always will be a pure blood, and not even nice clothes can cover that.” Evan stood, and it made Scorpius feel small. “Going for you would be going against everything Harry Potter fought for,” Evan asserted, brushing past Scorpius.

He turned over his shoulder when he reached the stairs. “Besides,” he added. “No one wants you--you or any of your lot. Not even your parents. Why would they have had you knowing they can't keep you?” He shook his head, then headed upstairs. Scorpius stood in his place, looking down, his hands in fists at his side.

Eleanor placed her hand on the small of his back. “Oh, Scor,” she said, “he didn't mean it.”

“Of course he did,” spat Scorpius, pulling away from her hand and her friendly nickname. “And he’s not wrong, either.”

Scorpius slunk back down to his bedroom, and collapsed in his bed. It felt like all of the magic of the evening had completely abandoned him. He’d gotten his dream, and his wonderful evening, but he was left exactly where he was before. He had a bit more money, now, but he thought he should keep saving until he could afford to live without cleaning someone else’s mess for at least a few months.

\---

Far away, in Godric’s Hollow, James Potter sat frowning on his balcony, looking out at the empty Quidditch pitch and listening to the leaves rustle in the trees. He had been so happy, for a moment, and now he was surrounded by the loneliness of evening. He felt like maybe, just maybe, if he kept staring at the line of trees that the man he was pretty sure he had fallen for would reappear. 

He looked up only when he felt a hand resting on his shoulder. He looked up to see the tired face of his father.  
  
“James, what’s wrong?” Harry asked gently, sitting down next to his son.   
  
“Well I met this guy,” James started, and Harry chuckled.  
  
“Your sister said it might be that. I’ve never seen you this upset about it before. There will be others, you know.”   
  
“Not like him,” James protested immediately. “Dad, you have to believe me. No one has ever been so kind to me. I have to find him again, I just don’t know where to look.”   
  
Harry sighed. “I understand where you’re coming from, but I think you need to slow down and think things through before you run all across England looking for this boy.”

“Like what?” James said, annoyed.

“Well,” Harry began, carefully. “Is he wonderful because you’re wearing the rose colored glasses of infatuation? Or is he truly as great as he seems?”   
  
“He is, I know it,” James said. “And I’m going to find him.”   
  
Harry leaned back. “So how do you propose you’re going to do that?” he asked. James dug around in his pockets and produced a frayed piece of cloth.  
  
“It was Lily’s idea. His robes tore when he left. I’ll go door to door if I have to, and find the person who’s torn robes match these.”   
  
Harry shook his head. “You’ve got it bad, don’t you? Well, alright. I won’t stop you, but I’m not going to help, either.” He smiled. “You should do some things on your own, for a change.”   
  
James scowled, but didn’t respond. With Lily and his mother’s help, he made a list of every family that had attended the party, with James eliminating options based on his memory of the man and his family’s friends.  
  
“I feel like maybe I recognized him from school, so let’s get rid of everyone who still has Hogwarts students,” James was saying.  
  
“I’m still a Hogwarts student,” Lily pointed out.   
  
“Barely,” James said. “Come on, it wasn’t one of the Creeveys, I would know it.”   
  
And so on it went, until they were left with no one. James groaned.  
  
“How can we have no one left on the list?” he cried.

“Well we’ve only considered families,” Lily pointed out. “Certainly it could have been someone’s house maid, at which point, I’m not sure what you want to do, honestly.”

James thought about this. Had he possibly kissed a pure blood? What did that mean for him? He was quiet for a long moment.

“I don’t care,” he said, after a long moment. “Isn’t that why we’ve separated them, anyway? To make them decent people? And besides, you’ve heard Dad complaining about it. I don’t think he would say anything. So it’s settled. Let’s find out which families have house maids. Can we do that?”

\---

Word spread fairly quickly that James Potter was on the hunt for a man with torn dress robes. Despite the fact that he was knocking on doors asking specifically for house maids, there were plenty of men who miraculously produced ripped dress robes that he tried to match his piece to. 

“This is impossible,” he lamented to Lily, who shrugged.   
  
“Next time,” she said, “try asking his name before you snog him.” James glared at her.

“When you say it like that, it sounds terrible.”   
  
“It  _ is _ terrible!” Lily snapped. “You’re a prat, James! You’ve let all of this get to your head, and Dad won’t call you out on it, but I will! You aren’t special, Al isn’t special, I’m not special,  _ Dad _ is special, and even he won’t admit it! Everyone acts like we’re something, but we aren’t, we’re just regular people, but  _ you _ decided at some point that you’re above all that! It makes everyone  _ crazy _ ! And I think you deserve this, because you are too stupid and thick-headed and full of yourself to ask someone who  _ you like _ what his  _ name is! _ ”

James stared at her, stunned. Lily crossed her arms, breathing heavily and red in the face. She took a deep breath to calm herself before she spoke again. “This is the last house, okay? Then I’m going home.” 

\---

Scorpius was busy in the kitchen cleaning the dishes for what felt like the eight hundredth time that day. He had no idea how one family of four could make as much of a mess as they did.

He heard a commotion from upstairs, and figured it would be in his best interest if he went to check it out. Perhaps he could head off a mess before it even got started.

He was not expecting to see two of the three Potter siblings at his front door. He backed into the stairway he had come from, feeling nervous.

Evan was running down the stairs, holding his dress robes. 

“...of course it could have been Evan, he’s a lovely blonde,” Andrea was saying, and Scorpius’ stomach dropped. James looked annoyed, from what he could tell, but Lily looked even more so. Evan presented James with his dress robes, out of which he appeared to have magically removed a rather large chunk.  
  
“No,” James said, sounding bored.  
  
“But you haven’t even tried to match your piece,” Andrea protested.   
  
“Wrong color, and it’s not that large of a section,” James said, sounding annoyed. “Now my sister and I came here to see if you had a  _ house maid _ .”

“Of course we do,” Eleanor said, surprising everyone. “I can go get him.”   
  
Andrea glared daggers into her daughter, and Scorpius thought the least he could do was save Eleanor’s behind, even if she could never save his.   
  
“No need,” he said grimly as he stepped into the sitting room. “I’m right here.”

“Why in Merlin’s name are you even up here?” Andrea said, her rage building and a vein visibly bulging on her forehead. “You know you aren’t to be upstairs unless--”   
  
“Ma’am,” James said, putting a hand in front of Andrea. He stared at Scorpius, then smiled brightly. “This is him, Lily, I found him.”

“You’ve got to be joking,” Evan said. “Scorpius wasn’t at the party. He doesn’t even have dress robes.”

“Master Scorpius does have dress robes,” came a small, angry voice. It was Tilly, who was holding Scorpius’ wadded dress robes. James quickly took them from the small elf. “Scorpius,” he murmured softly, tasting the name in his mouth for the first time.  
  
“You aren’t even supposed to  _ be _ here right now!” exclaimed Andrea, frustrated. “You’re supposed to be  _ my _ help, how  _ dare _ you behave with such insolence. You’re both fired, I can get new help any day.”   
  
James didn’t seem to be hearing anything Andrea was saying, he was busy hunting around for a torn part of Scorpius’ dress robes. Scorpius, however, felt his stomach sink. He  _ needed _ a job, even if living here was the worst thing he could imagine. Tilly had vanished with her normal  _ pop!,  _ unable to be in the Finch-Fletchleys home without permission. Scorpius felt even more helpless.  
  
“See!” James exclaimed, as though nothing was wrong. He held up the torn robes alongside the matching piece. “It’s perfect.” He rushed over, grabbing Scorpius’ hand. “Please come with me, I don’t want to lose you again.”   
  
“Get out,” Andrea said, her tone like ice. Scorpius let himself be led out, and the door slammed with finality behind him. Scorpius followed James and his sister down the street. James was babbling endlessly, but Scorpius didn’t hear a word he was saying. He was thinking about Eleanor and Tilly and how he probably wouldn’t see them again, and about the box of galleons and his few other only possessions that he was sure the Finch-Fletchleys would keep.

“What’s wrong?” James was saying, his eyebrows furrowed. He looked concerned, and Scorpius wanted to laugh.  
  
“Honestly!” Lily exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. She had clearly had enough of James. Without another word, she Disapparated, leaving the two men standing there without her. James stared at the place she had left, then turned back to Scorpius, the tips of his ears red.  
  
“Um, I guess I should know what’s wrong,” he said slowly. Scorpius looked at James, then sighed.  
  
“I’ve always lived there,” he said, carefully. “And all of my things are there and I don’t think I’ll be getting them back.” He made a conscious effort to look James in the eye. “And I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

James realized the gravity of the situation then, and that he had been foolish. “Oh,” he said. “Well, I’m sure we can find you a flat, I’ll help you look!” he said brightly, reaching out and taking Scorpius’ hand, afraid the other man would run off again.  
  
Scorpius was very overwhelmed, and close to crying again as things started to catch up with him. “I don’t have any money,” he started, doing his best to keep his voice steady, “and I don’t know a single landlord who is going to offer housing to an unemployed pure blood.” He couldn’t stop the tears from falling. “Why are you here, anyway? Why do you want anything to do with me now that I’m not just some guest at your party? You never paid attention to me in school; you never paid attention to any of us. No one does.” He used his free hand to furiously rub his eyes, and tried to pull away from James, but James held on.   
  
“Because you treated me like a person,” James said firmly. “And you’re pretty cute. And I’m sorry I was a prat in school. Lily says I still am. I’m working on it. I’m sure you can stay with mine until we figure this out.”

Scorpius sniffed. “Sure, so I can clean your dishes instead,” he said sullenly, and James grabbed his shoulders.  
  
“Stop,” he said firmly, and Scorpius sniffed again, his eyes hard. James sighed. It hadn’t gone this way in his imagination. In his imagination, Scorpius had been elated to see him and they’d run off together immediately.

“We don’t have a house maid,” he started, slowly, “and we don’t have a house elf, either. Aunt Hermione would never stand for it. No one is going to make you do the dishes.”

Scorpius blinked. He couldn’t possibly imagine the Potters not having anyone to take care of all of their things. He sniffed again.   
  
“Please, just.” James sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Please come home with me so I can try to fix some of this?” His ears turned red. “I want to know you better, but I think I really like you already.”   
  
Scorpius blinked at James, then pinched himself, hard. When nothing happened, he smiled faintly.    
  
“Okay.”

\---

James brought Scorpius to Godric’s Hollow and up to his bedroom. Scorpius looked around, amazed. There were knick-knacks and trinkets, Quidditch posters, a bed that looked lived-in and not perfectly made, and frosted French doors onto a balcony that overlooked the yard.  
  
“Really I would have liked to move out on my own by now,” James was saying, “but I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do for work.” He turned to Scorpius. “Tell me about your family.”   
  
Scorpius shrugged, not sure what to do with himself. James sat down on the end of his bed and patted the space next to him, so Scorpius sat down.  
  
“I don’t know them,” Scorpius said.    
  
“Right,” James said, “but the people who raised you, your family.” Scorpius shook his head.  
  
“It isn’t like you think,” he said. “You just met them. The Finch-Fletchleys. I wouldn’t call them family, I wouldn’t call Evan and Eleanor my siblings or Andrea and Justin my mom and dad. I grew up with them and I lived with them but I’ve never been made to feel like family.” Scorpius looked down at his hands. James stared. He couldn’t imagine that. 

“I’m sorry,” James said. Scorpius shrugged.   
  
“It’s fine.”   
  
They both sat in silence for a long moment.   
  
“Have you ever wanted to meet your real parents?” James asked. Scorpius turned to look at him.  
  
“Of course I have.” He looked frustrated, then. “You have no idea what it’s like. Going through school, and all of it. Every day being made to feel exactly how you saw Andrea treat me. Even in school, you know? We couldn’t even be in a House with the rest of you.” James blinked. He didn’t know why it had never occurred to him how terrible it all was. Here was this wonderful human being in front of him who hadn’t had any of the same opportunities for a reason beyond his control. Scorpius shook his head, then looked down.

“Help me understand,” James said, reaching out and setting a hand on Scorpius’. “I meant it when I said I wanted to know you.” Scorpius sighed.

“I was taken from my parents when I was three. I don’t have very many memories of them. The Finch-Fletchley’s took me in. We all played together when we were kids but I was never allowed to join in for the fun things. I got a lot of Evan’s hand-me-downs. When school started, I was so excited to get to go to Hogwarts, and then it was just the same.” He started to wring his hands. “We all just had to sit there in our plain black robes and watch everyone else be Sorted. When everyone else was taking extra classes in Dueling or Advanced Defense we were all in the kitchens practicing house spells. When the Houses played Quidditch games we just sat and watched.” He was shaking, by now. “I made NEWT levels in all of my classes but no one will hire me to be anything but a house maid, and of course the obligation is that I work for less than you would pay a House Elf for the family that sacrificed  _ so much _ to keep me.”

James looked at Scorpius, completely in shock. Of course he had been at Hogwarts at the same time, but it had never occurred to him to think about the feelings of the pure blood wizards. It was just the way things were. He couldn’t imagine that they were all so unhappy, but it made sense. He started to think a bit more about the things his father had been saying, the arguments he had overheard growing up.

“I’m so sorry,” was all he could think to say. Scorpius shook his head.   
  
“You can’t do anything about it,” he said, lamely. James opened his mouth to say something, but from somewhere in the house, a door opened and closed again.   
  
“Come on,” James said. “You have to meet Dad.”   
  
“Do I?” Scorpius squeaked, but James was pulling him up by the hand and leading him back down into the Potter’s sitting room. 

Harry looked up when he heard footsteps on the stairs, and had the decency to look only moderately surprised.  
  
“Dad,” James said, pulling Scorpius beside him. “I found him. This is Scorpius.”    
  
“I know,” Harry said, and both James and Scorpius looked at each other, confused.   
  
“What?” James said. Scorpius felt like he should not speak.

Harry sat down, and gestured for the boys to do the same. James sat, and Scorpius sat beside him, feeling like his world was spinning again.

“Your father and I went to school together,” Harry said to Scorpius, and Scorpius nodded.   
  
“I know you went to school with Justin, but I didn’t think he talked about me.”    
  
Harry shook his head. “Not Justin. Your  _ real _ father, I should say. You look too much like him for me to not know who you are.”    
  
Scorpius’ eyes widened. “You know him?” 

Harry nodded. “I do.”   
  
James put his hand on Scorpius’ leg. “I think Scorpius would like to meet his real parents,” James said, and Scorpius nodded, surprised. People didn’t stand up for him, not ever. Harry smiled, a little sadly.  
  
“I’m sure you would. But I have something important to ask you.”   
  
“Yes, sir. Anything,” Scorpius said. Harry waved his hand.  
  
“Please, you don’t have to call me that,” he said, smiling. Scorpius reddened, not sure what else to call him. “I’ve been lobbying fairly hard for many years against the way we treat pure blood wizards. I saw the merits in the system when it was brought up, but the way it has turned out…” Harry trailed off, then stared at Scorpius. “I was an orphan. Really, and truly. I know for a fact that your parents, and many others like them, loved you dearly and would have done a far better job of taking care of you and raising you than we as a society have. We’ve ruined your lives, in so many ways, drunk on the power of winning.” Harry stood, and Scorpius sat with his mouth hanging open.

“I’d like to use you to help make my case. I’ve been doing it for years, with Hermione’s help, but of course there’s too much overwhelming evidence that your generation hasn’t gotten up to anything unpleasant. I’ve been arguing that we haven’t given you all a proper chance.” He looked back at Scorpius.  
  
“If you and James really get on like he thinks you will, I think we can make quite the compelling case. And, I think I can re-introduce you to your father.”   
  
Scorpius jumped up. “Really? You could?”   
  
Harry smiled. “I know it’s all I would have wanted, if I were in your shoes.” Scorpius turned to look to James, and back again to Harry, not sure what to do with himself. 

“Thank you,” he settled on. “I’d love to help. Really.”   
  
“Scorpius made NEWT levels in all of his classes,” James said, standing as well, and taking Scorpius’ hand. “That he can’t find a job is ridiculous.”   
  
Harry nodded. “I think you’ll both do perfectly, if  you don’t mind me using you like this.”   
  
Scorpius shook his head. “This isn’t using me. This is helping me--and all of us.”

\---

Scorpius sat on the floor in James’ room, head in the older man’s lap, turning page after page of Quidditch magazines. They had spent the past week talking and getting to know each other better, maybe a fair bit of kissing here and there, and Scorpius was really feeling at home. He really liked James. The older man was a bit naive, but he had a heart of gold and was kind to Scorpius in a way no one else ever had been. He was never exactly sure what James meant when he said Scorpius made him feel the same way, but so things stood.  
  
He looked up into James’ brown eyes and smiled. The older man stopped carding his fingers through his hair for a moment to press a soft kiss to Scorpius’ forehead.   
  
“Are you going to be alright to meet your real dad tomorrow?” James asked, softly.   
  
“I think so. I wish I knew what to expect.”   
  
“Well, Dad says your dad was on Voldemort’s side in the war, but that he didn’t want to be and he actually helped a lot. And that you look a lot alike.”

“I know. That doesn’t help, though. And why hasn’t anyone ever mentioned my mum?”   
  
James frowned, then shrugged. “I dunno,” he said. “Oh! You’ll be so proud of me. Hang on, let me up.”  
  
Scorpius sat up and James ran across the room, then produced several envelopes to show Scorpius.   
  
“Tah-dah! I’ve applied for work at all of these places, though really I’m hoping Uncle George will hire me at Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, because I think that would be the best.” He sat down again. “And once I’ve made a little bit, we can get our own flat.”   
  
“You’re sure they’ll let us?” Scorpius asked, nervously. James shrugged.  
  
“I’m Harry Potter’s son,” was the only explanation he offered. Scorpius laughed, shoving James lightly. 

\---

The next day, James let Scorpius go through his entire closet until he found something he liked and could resize. The two met Harry in the sitting room, and Harry escorted them to meet Scorpius’ father.

They Apparated together, side-along, and they appeared in front of a large, impressive manor home, with neat formal gardens and an imposing front gate.  
  
“This is your family home,” said Harry to Scorpius, whose eyes were huge and mouth agape. “Your family probably has more money than most, Scorpius.”  
  
The young blond turned to Harry, shaking his head slowly. Harry chuckled, seeing himself in the young man a little bit. “Let’s go. I know your father is eager to meet you.”   
  
The gates swung open for them and they headed up the long walk to the front door. Harry reached up and knocked smartly, and the door opened immediately, revealing a small house elf.

“Tilly?” Scorpius said, in shock. She beamed up at him.   
  
“I have been waiting and waiting so long for Master Scorpius to come home,” she squeaked. Scorpius felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. Tilly ushered them inside, and it wasn’t long until heavy footsteps could be heard echoing through the well-decorated halls of the manor.   
  
Tilly had barely gotten them into the parlor before a tall, thin, pale, slightly balding man appeared in the doorway, winded. He was well dressed, but tired looking, and there was a desperation in his eyes. He took one look at Scorpius and crossed the room in three strides, collecting his son into a hug.

Scorpius wasn’t exactly sure what to do, so he awkwardly reached around the man’s waist and patted him on the back. James smiled at him encouragingly, not sure how to help in this situation. 

Draco pulled away, looking his son up and down. “Scorpius,” he was saying, and Scorpius felt like that was the way his name was supposed to be said, “Merlin, I thought I’d never see you again. Look at you,” he was saying, and Scorpius didn’t know what to do.  
  
“Erm, hi,” he tried, and James quickly stifled a laugh.  
  
“Scorpius, this is Draco Malfoy, your father.” Draco looked at Harry.    
  
“Thank you so much,” he said, and Harry nodded. He turned back to Scorpius. “I’m so sorry. This must be so strange for you.”   
  
“It’s okay,” Scorpius said. “I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time.”   
  
Draco smiled. It was the first time Harry had seen it in many years. “Me too,” he said.

The four of them ended up sitting in the parlor. Draco had produced a photo album from somewhere in the house, and Tilly brought the four men tea. Draco showed all of them all of Scorpius’ baby pictures, and pictures of his mother.  
  
“She died,” Draco told Scorpius, sounding pained, “about two years after we lost you.”

In all the photographs, Draco looked much younger and happier. Scorpius looked happy, too. He had new toys in the pictures, a tiny broomstick that he zoomed around on. His mother was beautiful and happy. Tears welled in his eyes just looking at them. It was like looking at someone else’s life.

“We moved into the mountains when we found out we were going to have you,” Draco said to Scorpius as he turned pages of the well-worn photo album. “We did everything we could to stay away, but of course it was suspicious we would have just left everything here. I’m surprised we made it as long as we did before the Aurors came to take you.” He looked sideways at Harry, who looked helpless.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and Draco shook his head. It had been said a hundred times between them. Draco knew Harry couldn’t do anything about it. 

“And Tilly?” Scorpius said, looking at his beloved companion and confidant. Tilly smiled.  
  
“I helped raise you,” she squeaked, “and promised Master Malfoy that I would try to keep an eye on you when you were gone. Went family to family until I found the one that had you. Popped in to Hogwarts all the time.”   
  
Scorpius looked at her. “And you never said anything?”   
  
“Oh, Master Scorpius, I couldn’t!” she said, and scurried around to refill all of their tea cups. “But I could tell Master Malfoy when you were having a very hard time, and so that is how I brought you money.”   
  
Scorpius turned to Draco, who smiled. “You sent money for me to go to a party?”   
  
“Scorpius, I’d send money for you to buy crup puppies if that’s what Tilly said you wanted. I couldn’t do anything for you your whole life, what’s a few galleons for some dress robes that, if I had it my way, you would have already had?”

“So I suppose we owe you a thank you, for letting us meet,” James said, and everyone laughed.

“Can I stay here with you?” Scorpius said to Draco, eyes wide. Draco smiled.  
  
“I’d love that, but you’re a grown man. You have your own life, and what seems like a fine young man who cares about you a lot. I’m not going anywhere.”

When they left, Scorpius felt more alive than he ever had. He kept thanking Harry, who just shook his head.

\---

In the next few months, Scorpius, James, Harry, and Draco appeared at several Wizengamot hearings arguing against the separation of pure blood and mixed blood wizards. Their efforts resulted in the destruction of the “pure blood house” at Hogwarts, and the reuniting of many families.

Through the adventure, Scorpius found a deep love for politics and began interning under Hermione Granger, who was impressed not only by his NEWT levels, but also his passion for equality for all creatures. His aid in the House Elves and Werewolf divisions was not only deeply satisfying work for him, but certainly sold his case to the public that pureblood wizards were not inherently evil and biased.

Draco’s health and happiness improved substantially with his son back in his life, and James and Scorpius made sure to visit at least once a week. 

As for James and Scorpius, it didn’t take long for James to save (or borrow) enough money to rent them a small flat in London. He happily worked in his family’s joke shop while Scorpius was at the Ministry. No one was surprised when they announced their engagement shortly afterward. Scorpius made sure they sent an announcement specifically to Evan Finch-Fletchley, just out of spite.

In their flat late one night, Scorpius turned to look at James, who was doing his best to cook them something for dinner. He flicked his wand to correct one of James’ errors. James turned and scowled at him, then laughed. 

Scorpius grinned. He finally had his happily ever after. And all was well.


End file.
